This is the story of Élodie, Ductal and Airium – a testimony of how LafargeHolcim embraces sustainability and innovation. So the world builds better. 

Wearing appropriate protection equipment, Élodie pours Ductal into a mold of acrylic glass. Making a base for the LafargeHolcim Awards trophy requires skill, patience, and stamina. The result, a rectangular block with a perfectly smooth surface is also a great source of satisfaction and pride for Élodie.

Sustainability means inclusion

Élodie works in a manufacturing studio of the Messidor Association near Lyon, France. Messidor has been supporting people with differing abilities to find their way into the labor market for more than 30 years. The assignment is ideal for the association’s employees, precisely because it is a challenge. Élodie and her colleagues obviously appreciate the task, carrying out their work with dedication and accuracy.

In the LafargeHolcim Awards competition, sustainability is viewed in a holistic way: One of the five “target issues” of sustainable construction calls for ethical standards and social inclusion. This inclusion was a prime consideration in the manufacturing of the trophy bases – and Messidor is the ideal partner. “Making the trophy bases is an important activity,” says Laurent Pigeyre (pictured, left), Production Manager at the Messidor Association. “It makes us very proud!”

Innovative and leading-edge

At the five regional Awards ceremonies 2017, a total of 60 Awards and “Building Better” trophies will be handed over to the authors of winning projects. Traditionally, the trophy artwork is mounted on a base made of concrete. This cycle’s bases are completely new, and made of two innovative building materials, Ductal and Airium, developed by LafargeHolcim, the Foundation’s sponsor.

A shell made of Ductal

The shell of the new base is made of Ductal, an ultra-high fiber-reinforced performance concrete. It offers superior ductility, longevity, and resistance to compression. Ductal is ideal for forming complex structures, textures, and surfaces. “Ductal is on the leading edge of building materials innovation,” says Gérard Molines (pictured, left), Technical Engineer at LafargeHolcim Research Center (LCR) in Lyon. “It was used in the construction of iconic structures such as the MuCEM in Marseille and the new TGV terminal in Montpellier. Furthermore, it symbolizes what the LafargeHolcim Awards stand for: innovation and sustainability.”

A core made of Airium

After the shell has cured, Élodie and her colleagues pack and ship the blocks to LCR for the final step in the production process. To reduce the weight of the trophies, the bases are molded with a hollow cavity. At the LCR, the core of each base is filled with Airium: a new, cement-based, fully mineral foam which can be used for floors, wall filling, roofs and many more applications. “The fresh mix is very plastic and can fill voids in concrete blocks – or add insulation to other materials,” explains Patrick Tintillier (pictured, below), Research Engineer at LCR. “It insulates and regulates the indoor climate, is durable, recyclable, provides acoustic damping, and is non-combustible.” Working with Airium requires experience and special equipment. That’s why the material experts at LCR took over the task of filling the Ductal shells with a solid core of Airium.

With a passion for innovation

This year’s LafargeHolcim Awards trophies are a visual and tangible example of what can be created through sustainable thinking and a passion for innovation. Ductal and Airium are fittingly appropriate eco-efficient materials for the LafargeHolcim Awards, which celebrate innovation and excellence in sustainable construction. So the world builds better.

The world’s most significant competition in sustainable design

The LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction was created in 2003 to raise awareness of the important role that architecture, engineering, urban planning, and the building industry have in achieving a more sustainable future.

Every three years, the Foundation carries out a global competition to award projects and visions for sustainable construction. The competition identifies and rewards projects in architecture, building and civil engineering, landscape and urban design, materials, products and construction technologies that contribute to five “target issues” for sustainable construction.

The 5th International LafargeHolcim Awards competition for projects and visions closed in March 2017. From a total of 5,085 entries by authors in 121 countries, almost 2,000 were examined by independent juries in five world regions. More than half of all valid entries were submitted by students and young professionals. This confirms the personal engagement in sustainability of the next generation of architects, engineers, planners and construction specialists.

The regional LafargeHolcim Awards ceremonies are drawing closer:

• Middle East Africa: In Nairobi, Kenya, September 7/8, 2017
• Europe: In Marseille, France, September 28/29, 2017
• Latin America: San José, Costa Rica, October 5/6, 2017
• North America: Chicago, USA, October 12/13, 2017
• Asia Pacific: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 23/24, 2017